Conversations Between Dead People
by ghostwitch
Summary: They say that if you leave two people alone in a room for long enough, they'll bond eventually. Aeris and Sephiroth, trapped together in the lifestream, put this theory to the test. Updated: Chapter Six - Indulgence
1. Coexisting

Everyone faded in time. He watched as they stumbled through nothing, reuniting and embracing and withering away to whispers and white light. Everyone faded, save for the two of them.

Time and space is a funny thing in the lifestream, and so the two were never far, whether or not they wanted to be. White and yellow lilies sprung up at her feet, dying away to packed and solid earth wherever he stood. Blades of grass marked the boundary between them. He had wondered what might happen if he entered the flowerbed, but had never ventured to find out. They had an accord between them, after all, though it had never been articulated: The two would coexist in silence 'til the end of time.

"So, have you ever been in a hospital?" Aeris asked, bent double over her flowers.

"... What?"

"I asked if you've ever been in hospital."

"Why are you speaking to me?"

"Why aren't you answering me?"

"Because, we're not speaking."

"We're speaking right now."

"We shouldn't be."

"Well, what do you recommend we do, then? Coexist in silence until the end of time?"

With a glare and some hesitation, Sephiroth attempted to make plain what he had thought was obvious.

"We are enemies."

"And we're stuck here."

"So you want to make small talk."

"That's right."

"... Ridiculous."

"You don't feel like talking at all?"

"Not to you."

"There's no one else."

"Then not at all."

"You can't live that way."

"I'm not alive."

"You can't... exist, that way."

"How would you know?"

"I don't know. You look human enough, despite my previous experience with you."

"Your previous experience should have taught you the consequences of butting in."

"Maybe. Obviously, it didn't. So, how's your mother?"

"... "

Sephiroth stood rigid and silent, glaring daggers at her back while she stayed hunched over her flowers, fidgeting anxiously. Images of the masamune were creeping to the forefront of both their minds.

"... Guess we're getting off on the wrong foot," she muttered, pulling herself to her feet and absently brushing off her dress. She stopped when she noticed there was no actual dirt to be brushed off.

"It's a little late in the game to be worried about first impressions."

"... Yeah, I know."

His eyes stayed narrowed, though he let his shoulders relax.

"My name's Aeris, you know."

"I know."

"Oh."

"Yes."

Aeris turned 'round to face him for the first time, her brow creased. Their eyes met for only a moment before she decided that her flowers were infinitely more interesting and kneeled to tend to them once again.

"Why were you asking about hospitals?" asked Sephiroth, careful to lace his voice with as much suspicion and derision as possible.

"I don't know. I can't ask about the weather and it seemed better than 'how are you.'"

"But more intrusive and less useful."

"Would it really be useful to ask how you are? You're dead."

"So are you."

"Then I guess you're doing about as well as I am."

"That's presumptuous."

"Should I ask, then?"

"I don't care."

"Then why are you hung up on it?"

"It's just a strange question."

"Well then, how are you, Sephiroth? Is the day treating you well?" Aeris' tone was saccharine bordering sarcastic, and Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow in response.

His expression returned to normal as he considered the question, slowly turning his back to her.

"Terrible."

"And that," she responded merrily, completely unfazed by his cantankerous reply, "is why I asked about hospitals."

He snorted, shaking his head in resignation.

"What do you think? I was a member of SOLDIER. A combatant. Of course I've been to a hospital."

"Well, you never know. Everyone said you were supposed to be legendary. It's hard to picture legendary men in sickbeds."

"It's interesting that you're so eager to hear about me being wounded."

"Even if that's why I was asking, I don't think you could blame me."

"No, I suppose not. So, have you been maimed by anyone other than me?"

"Fell out of a tree and broke an arm when I was nine, so I guess that means I've also been beaten by... a tree." She was doing her best to keep her tone even, but couldn't help a small sniff of indignation. Contempt seeped into her voice as she continued. "Anyway, I wouldn't be so smug. It's not like… what you did, was any big accomplishment."

He responded with a quiet grunt. She noted that he must be quite practiced at such noises, as he managed to make it sound both derisive and dismissive at once.

"Don't play dumb," he commanded, hints of loathing bleeding into his voice as well, "We both know what that materia did and how crucial it was." He paused and murmured more to himself than to her, "I might have still succeeded, if—"

"'—if it weren't for us meddling kids?' Come on, don't embarrass yourself. You sound like a villain on those old cartoons."

"Hn. What happened to 'getting off on the right foot?'"

"Well, I guess it's like you said." Aeris sighed, a note of resignation behind her otherwise amicable tone. "It's probably too late for that. So, instead, let's… make the best of the situation."

She forced her eyes up to his face and looked, for a moment, like she was going to offer a smile, but the friendly expression withered on the vine and left her mouth twisted into a weak simper.

His eyes scanned her face for as long as was comfortable and after a few moments, he gave a slight nod.

* * *

I hope to do a series of these. Really, I just want to see where it goes if I keep them strictly in character. I obviously have an Aeris/Sephiroth bias, but if it never explicitly goes there, then so be it. This is kind of an introductory or a teaser chapter... I guess I'm intending the rest as psuedo-comedic character studies. Or maybe I just wanted to play with dialogue. You decide?


	2. No Apologies

"So," the silver-haired man began in begrudging undertone, half hoping he wouldn't be heard, "Why haven't you gone to the Promised Land? I thought you were supposed to be a Cetra."

"Half Cetra," Aeris corrected. She twirled the stem of one of her flowers in her fingers, sitting on a short stool that seemed to have apparated out of nowhere. Sephiroth stood, because standing is always best when you're trying to impose your presence upon the company you keep.

"And I already told you why I haven't gone to the Promised Land."

"What, 'you're stuck?'" Aeris nodded and Sephiroth lifted an eyebrow. "How can you be stuck?"

"You're just as stuck as I am!"

"Yes, but the difference between you and I is that _I'm_ not half Cetra."

Aeris lifted her head to look at him, her brows raising in surprise and then lowering in confusion. Sephiroth shifted his weight from one foot to another, apparently impatient with how long it was taking for her expression to settle on a deep frown.

"But—you know? I thought you—"

"Dying has a way of shifting your perception."

"… Huh?"

"… All the knowledge of the planet flows through this place, unfiltered. I can't parse much of it, but…"

"So, you know that you're not—"

"Yeah."

Aeris' face seemed to brighten at this development. He watched her as she pulled herself almost excitedly to her feet, his eyes narrowing. A bystander might observe that overt displays of happiness made him terribly grumpy.

"Sit down, I'm not sorry," he added hastily. Aeris' looked halfway between confused and angry as she halted her advance towards him.

"Wha… What do you mean, you're not sorry?!"

"I mean I'm not sorry."

"You tried to kill everyone! You summoned meteor!"

"Is it really such a terrible thing to want to wipe out all humanity? Even the planet--"

"They're all _still alive_ down there, if you didn't notice! Unlike you, the planet decided not to be a _jerk!"_

He blinked and cocked his head, but Aeris stood defiantly by her poorly crafted insult and forced him to move on.

"I don't know why you care, you're a Cetra."

"Half!"

"Right, half. But you should still be able to see the advantages. The corruption ends, the planet receives new blood to rebuild itself—"

"—And you just _happen_ to be at the heart of it all, sucking in just enough energy to satisfy your very serious megalomaniacal complex?"

"Someone has to oversee it all, and I might as well reap the benefits of my endeavours." Aeris expressed her furor the only way she knew how: She stamped her feet and raised her voice.

"_Ridiculous_!"

"How?"

"Humanity is as much a part of the planet as trees and grass and Mako! Just because some people happen to get greedy…"

"They're all selfish and greedy. That's human nature."

"Oh, what would you know? You were rich and famous and powerful. You spent your life killing people and having _other_ people worship the ground you walk on for doing it!" Aeris paused as she considered how those circumstances might have had formative effects, but ploughed on before she could be interrupted.

"The point is, _you_ wouldn't know what people do for one another, how they band together in times of need."

"Oh yes, desperate people are just _so kind_. Tell me, have you ever been to the slums of Midgar?"

"I grew up there."

"Then how did you come to believe all this nonsense about human kindness?" It was a demand more than a question. Aeris hesitated, staring down at her feet.

"It's none of your business."

"Ah, and here I thought we were sharing."

She sat down again, picking at the petals of the lily in her hand.

"You haven't shared anything I didn't already know," she muttered bitterly. He watched her sulk and shook his head minutely.

"Well then, if you tell me why you're so convinced that people are good, despite all evidence to the contrary, I'll tell you something you didn't already know."

"What, about you? What makes you think I'd want to know?" She eyed him warily, but he only shrugged under her scrutiny.

"You're curious and I'm mysterious."

Aeris snorted derisively, shook her head in disbelief, fidgeted, frowned, waited a few moments and then began her story.

"When I was a little girl, my mom… died. We were at a train station. It was during the war, and a woman was waiting there for her husband, but… she found us instead. She took me in, raised me like a daughter. Never once complained or questioned me about it. I know people do bad things, too, and I know it better than most people, but… Even with Shinra, the Turks, the slums, people were trying to help one another. You can't ignore that kind of thing. A lot of people did a lot of bad things to me before I met Elmyra, and I was angry for a long time, but… When you encounter something like that, one person's huge act of kindness, I think you just… start believing in people."

Sephiroth nodded along with her story, his arms folded neatly across his chest. He stared down at her after she had finished until she lifted her head to look up at him imploringly.

"It's your turn."

Sephiroth smirked.

"I lied."

Aeris, still sitting down, found that stomping her feet in anger was quite impossible this time, and was forced to settle for turning her back on him with a pronounced huff of indignation.

* * *

I hope none of you really thought he'd keep his end of the bargain.

Anyway! I'm glad there are people who enjoy reading this, because I'm having great fun writing it. I giggled liked a mad scientist with a syringe while writing this chapter, as if trying to keep them in character is some fiendish plot. As always, feedback is appreciated.


	3. Only Human

His broad shoulders shook with laughter – he really couldn't contain himself any longer, and guffawed heartily while Aeris stewed in her own indignation.

"Really, now, what did you expect?" he prompted. She ignored him, crossing her arms a little tighter, lifting her nose a little higher into the air, and finishing with a quiet "hmph." Sephiroth felt the warm, familiar feeling of accomplishment wash over him.

"You know," he started, making no effort to hide his bemusement. Aeris cut him off.

"Oh, _now_ you want to talk?" Her tone was as reproachful as his expression was smug.

"You never told me what it means that you're _stuck_," he continued, waving a hand dismissively in response to her protest.

"Oh, no. Like I'm going to volunteer any information to you _now._"

"Why? You've gotten the sensitive information out of the way, what's the harm in telling me the facts?"

"I'm not telling you _anything_."

"Because it's important, or because you're petty?"

"_Petty?!_"

"Spiteful."

"_Spiteful?!_"

"Does everything I say sound better in that shrill voice?"

"Maybe it does!"

"If it makes you feel better…"

She narrowed her eyes. His were practically twinkling with delight. She observed that his mood seemed to have an inverse relationship with her own, and sure enough, as her mouth twisted into a smile, the mischievous fire dancing in his eyes was snuffed out.

"What?" he asked, already sounding decidedly more dour.

"I'm not telling _you_ why you're stuck, either," she announced, voice rich with the vindictive joy so commonly found among kindergarteners.

"What? I'm actually stuck?"

"Well, that much should be obvious, shouldn't it? Why else would you be here with me?"

"I figured it was divine punishment. You know why I'm here?"

"The planet wouldn't punish me like this. Yes, I know why you're here."

Faced with Aeris' triumphant smirk, Sephiroth's mood soured. He sat down and pressed his fingers to his temple, mulling this revelation over. There was some faint twinge of guiltless regret tugging at the back of his mind, but he pushed it aside in favour of formulating a plan to get Aeris to divulge the information he wanted.

"… And I'm _not telling you!_" she added gleefully.

Sephiroth looked up.

"Yes, thank you, Aeris, I had figured that out about five minutes ago, but I suppose confirmation is better late than never."

She giggled to herself, but the longer she watched him frowning and worried, the less amused she found herself.

"Is this about… Jenova?" He felt like the last word was something to choke on. Aeris watched him closely for a moment, then leaned back on her palms, her shoulders moving back and forth as she considered her answer.

"Mmmm… that would be telling." She looked back at him, tilting her head to one side. "You say that name like it's a dirty word."

Sephiroth grunted in acknowledgement, but volunteered nothing else. Her expression softened, so she tipped her head back before he could notice.

"So, is the Lifestream what you thought it would be?"

"I thought you were mad at me?"

"I try not to waste too much of my time on anger."

"Why? It frees up more time to enact revenge?"

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm not _you._"

"It just didn't seem to be your philosophy a minute ago."

"Well, of course I can't help but indulge my anger sometimes. I'm only human, after all."

He frowned deeply.

"No, you're not."

The silence had grown to be uncomfortable. Sephiroth didn't seem to mind, but Aeris couldn't keep from fidgeting under his firm and unrelenting stare.

"Well, anyway, I—"

"If you're not angry, then tell me why I'm here."

Aeris turned her head to look him in the eye, quirking one of her brows.

"Now, now. I said I wasn't going to be angry. I didn't say I wasn't going to be _difficult._"

* * *

This chapter is a little shorter than the others, but there were a few things I wanted to establish and I just felt it was better to end it after doing so. Hopefully the next update will come sooner than this one. Thank you to all the people who have reviewed so far - I'm glad you're enjoying it. For those of you wondering: Yes, I am planning to go somewhere with this story. The dialogue isn't going to be _entirely_ meandering and pointless, and I hope I showed a bit of that with this chapter.


	4. Judgement

"So... You're going to talk to me, then?" Aeris began tentatively.

"I suppose," came the burdened reply.

"Good!" Aeris tugged at a strand of the curled hair that fell over her shoulder, considering this development. "I can't think of any icebreakers."

"Don't you think they're past their usefulness?"

"Then, what do you expect me to talk about?"

"Why you want to waste your time on something so trivial, to begin with?"

"Well, I _have_ got time to waste."

"Then waste it on something more substantial," Sephiroth demanded. He was staring at her now. The two had been hesitant to keep eye contact as they spoke, but Sephiroth seemed to have no trouble withstanding a little awkwardness in order to stare her down. Aeris looked away, as she usually did, drumming her fingers against her thigh and waiting for the relief that came when he averted his eyes.

"Ah, I've thought of one," she continued, undeterred. "We could play Twenty Questions."

"Okay, I'll start," he responded, adopting an expression of exaggerated scepticism, "Question one: Why are you so desperate to speak with me?"

"That is _not_ how the game works!"

"Question two: What is it you're so desperate to speak to me _about?_"

"You're breaking the rules!"

"What else is new? Give me an answer."

He gave her the same demanding look and she stared stubbornly back. For a moment he thought he'd have to relent, but she threw her hands up just as the thought crossed his mind.

"I want to know what's _wrong_ with you, that's what."

"What's wrong with me?"

"Yeah. I mean, do you really think all people, everywhere, are horrible?"

"Well... Yes."

"_Why?_ How can anyone truly think that?"

"I-" he started, but Aeris had obviously meant the question to be rhetorical.

"And, people - humans - _beat_ you! Didn't you learn anything from that experience?"

"No. That's ridiculous."

"What do you mean?"

"What was I supposed to learn? To appreciate human tenacity? There was no moral lesson to learn from what happened - just a violent conflict of ideals. The only point to be found in it all was at the end of my sword."

"And Cloud's," Aeris corrected. He did not look amused. She, meanwhile, did not look comfortable.

"The _point_ is that you're wrong," she persisted.

"Stunning argument."

"Listen, you haven't explained why you think people are so horrible."

"Haven't you ever opened a newspaper? Read a history book?"

"Yes, and I still don't see your justification."

"And you never will," he said dismissively, "Because you're not willing to consider that I might be right."

"No, because even if you were right, it's not as if you should be out _smiting the wicked_, or whatever it was you think you were doing."

"Why? I'm _very_ qualified, I assure you."

"But it isn't your place."

"That's such an absurd argument. I was bred to kill. I was chosen. There's no better person on the planet for the job."

"It isn't the job of anyone on the planet. The planet _itself_ is the arbiter of life and death, and the planet chose for humanity to live. You should trust its judgement."

"There is no _justice_ in its judgement," he responded, beginning to sound frustrated.

"What do you mean?"

"The lifestream only recycles souls, indiscriminately. It doesn't care about any sin a person may have committed. The planet is only perpetuating a cycle of misery, indifferent to any human choice that doesn't involve sucking Mako from its core. A warmonger and a philanthropist are equal in the planet's eyes."

Aeris paused a moment to take in what he was saying. There was something sad and desperate lurking behind her green eyes, and for a moment he felt his conviction waver.

"But if what you believe is true," she spoke slowly, her eyes downcast, "then the planet is only treating them as equals because humans are all equally horrible. And, if you were to kill everyone, you'd be making no distinction either."

"I'd only be wresting the right to judge from the planet, and with that power, I could put these spirits to better use instead of sending them back out into the world to continue the cycle."

Aeris heaved a great sigh. This time, there was no trace of melancholy, only neutral impatience. He didn't understand why the sudden change in tone, and it unnerved him.

"Look around you," she instructed. He took her statement to be figurative and did not waste time taking in the emptiness of his surroundings once again.

"What am I supposed to be seeing?"

"How do you know," she asked firmly, lifting her eyes to his, "That you being here is not the planet's form of justice?"

He felt her eyes pierce him, but refused to look away.

"Is that what you meant when you said I was stuck here?" He stared at her a few moments longer before forcing his eyes to the ground. He began to pace. "Then why are _you_ here?" he nearly growled. Aeris turned her head.

"I said I wasn't going to talk about that." Whether she was reminding him or herself was unclear. "I'm just pointing out that there's a lot you don't know, and if you're wrong about the planet, then maybe you're wrong about people, too."

"What are you trying to tell me?" Sephiroth asked. He had stopped pacing, but could barely keep the snide condescension from his voice, "That everyone is good at heart?"

"No, just..." Aeris stayed slow and measured, ignoring his tone, "That some people are good, and some people are bad."

"Most are worthless. I've known that since Wutai, and Nibelheim only reinforced it."

"But why should the good people be lumped in with the bad?"

"Because sacrifices must be made in order to take the best course of action."

"Yeah," she said quietly, "I know." The way she looked at him made him wish he had chosen different words.

"Justice is getting what you deserve, without cruelty," she continued, breaking the awkward silence. "There's no such thing as sacrificing an innocent bystander in the name of justice."

"Then perhaps I misspoke," he answered, his temper apparently eased by her response, "but humankind and the world they've built are still far greater evils than I could ever hope to be."

The two shared another moment of silence, far more comfortable than any of the moments that had preceeded it. They had reached some form of understanding about one another, even if the only thing they were in agreement about was letting the matter die quietly. Aeris stretched, but Sephiroth stood as rigid as ever.

"Alright then." Aeris' tone was cheery again, but dispassionate compared to their previous conversation. Sephiroth inclined his head towards her with polite interest and waited for her to finish her thought. She caught the gesture and grinned. "It's _my_ turn to ask a question..."

* * *

**Author's Note**: I'm sorry for taking so long to update, and I can only hope I'm not declining in quality. Proofreading on this was just a quick once-over, I wanted to get it up and out of the way. Anyway, now I can bill this story as "Aeris and Sephiroth banter, argue and debate personal philosophy in the afterlife." If I add in an Obama vs. Hillary debate I'll _really_ have all my bases covered...

I'm also really sorry about the formatting in this chapter. It just WILL NOT keep my spaces intact and I have no idea why...


	5. The Professor

She was leaning expectantly towards him with her hands behind her back, her round eyes fixed on his face. Despite himself, Sephiroth looked away. As if satisfied, she spun round on her heel, her braid slapping against her back as she turned it to him.

"Mmmmm…" Aeris wrung her hands behind her back, looking up. Sephiroth frowned.

"You were going to ask me something?" His tone was bored, but imploring.  
"Uh-huh."

He waited.

"… Well?"  
"Oh, I don't know," she sighed. "It's stupid."  
"Yes, I had expected as much…"  
"Hey!"

She rounded on him, looking reproachful. He sighed and folded his arms over his chest.

"Let me know when you're finished hemming and hawing."  
"Some things are tough to ask!"  
"What, are you working up the courage to ask me about the length of my hair?"  
"No, but you could tell me about that in the meantime."

He snorted and tossed his head to throw his hair from his eyes. When he looked back at her, he thought he caught her peering with renewed interest at the shock of silver that fell down his back, but she looked away as soon as she realized he saw her.

"Okay." She took a steadying breath. "You have to promise to answer this question."  
"… Because that worked so well for you before."  
"… " She frowned, wringing her hands. "I… I want you to tell me about Professor Gast."

He unfolded his arms. It seemed an eternity before they fell into place at to his sides, and when he finally spoke, his expression had soured.

"_Don't_ play games with me," he commanded.  
"… What?"  
"Why would you ask that?"  
"I—"  
"Are you expecting me to 'open up,' suddenly? Tell you some personal, touching story about Nibelheim or the Jenova Project?"  
"No, I—"  
"There's nothing to be said."  
"That's _not_ it!" she cried, punctuating her sentence with a tiny sigh of frustration. They each took a moment to frown at each other before she continued.  
"It's not some… some _tactic_. I just want to know because…"  
"Because you're a meddlesome girl who doesn't know how to leave well enough alone?"  
"Because Professor Gast was my father."

She wouldn't have thought it possible if she wasn't witnessing it herself, but his already baleful expression darkened.

"… That's not funny."  
"Huh?"  
"I told you," he snarled, "No games."  
"It's_ not_," she protested, raising her voice.  
"Then what is it?" he hissed, lowering his.  
"Just shut up for a minute! Not everything is about _you!_" Her hands balled into fists, Aeris glared at him. His expression remained as stony as ever, and though he looked straight at her, he made no indication of having even seen the look she gave him. Pressing a hand to her temple, she sighed.

"He's my father, and I never got a chance to meet him, but you did, and so I wanted to know if you could tell me… what he was like?"

She held her hands together again, appearing quite apprehensive, and he felt his stomach twist upon realizing that she was telling the truth. With a weary sigh, he seated himself and looked stubbornly away.

"He was a great man. A genius. A—"  
"Stop it." He looked at her searchingly. "You're trying to be nice. It isn't like you."  
"Are you insulting me?"  
"No. …Maybe. I didn't think you'd take it as an insult."

He snorted. She smiled.

"Then, he was a liar. A traitor. An obsessive, short-sighted coward who wanted acclaim without responsibility. He turned and ran when he couldn't face the consequences of his actions, and I'm certain he got himself killed over it. If you're his daughter, I wouldn't doubt that the only reason you were ever conceived was for his own ends."

"Mmm." She sounded nonplussed by his tirade. "I thought it might be something like that."

"… What do you mean by that?"

"Well… I've heard about the Jenova Project." Her hands clasped behind her back and she paced through the flowers while she spoke, her voice calm and even. "Actually, I think that was the first time I heard his name in connection to anything he'd really done. I just knew that a man named Gast was my dad, and that he was a scientist. That's all anyone told me, when I was small.

"But, when I heard about what he did, I wondered… 'What kind of person could do that?' It seemed a lot like… what I went through. To be honest, I kind of blamed him." She paused, pensive. "I never told any of my friends who my father was. I guess I was ashamed."

Her eyes wandered from the flowers in front of her to some spot off in the distance. Sephiroth canted his head towards her back, his brow unknitting itself. After a moment, he lowered his head again, this time flicking his cool eyes over the grass that had crept in around his feet.

"As a man," he began quietly, pulling her from her reverie, "He was patient and kind. It was never his intention to hurt… regardless of how much he did."

She turned to him, her lips slightly parted in an expression of shock and confusion. They came together slowly, turning upwards into a smile, her eyes softening as it happened. Again, he crossed his arms.

"Patient and kind… More or less than I am?" She giggled and he looked immediately exasperated. "Well, I guess my mom must have seen something in him. And besides," she mused, "nobody's _all_ bad."

"To be honest, I used to think he was my father."  
"Really?"  
"When I was younger."  
"Oh."  
"In a way, I guess he was. But, my 'real' father is probably just a numbered sample… only Hojo would know for sure, I suppose."

It was Sephiroth's turn to stare off into space, and so he barely noticed the way Aeris' eyes darted nervously at the mention of the other professor.

"Yes, I suppose you're right."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Wow, I didn't mean to leave it so long without an update, but school sort of ate my life... Well, rest assured, I have no plans to abandon this story. I know this chapter is short, but... well, I guess all I can say is that I think it's as long as it needs to be. I edited some of the older chapters according to some of the suggestions, though I've probably missed a few things here and there. Anyway, thank you all for your feedback, I hope you continue to enjoy, and I'll try to be a bit more prompt about the next few updates.


	6. Indulgence

"I think they like you," Aeris observed, a note of amusement in her voice that Sephiroth did not like in the least.  
"What?"  
"The flowers," she pointed as she explained, "They're creeping closer, don't you think?"  
"I haven't been paying attention."  
"Well, I have. Look."

He did, though only after she'd shifted her focus from him back to the flora in question. Now that he looked, they did seem to be growing towards him. He frowned at this. It could be explained away, of course – perhaps he had just moved closer to where she was. Of course, that thought was just as suspect and unlikely.

"How long has it been?" he asked, flicking his eyes back up to the back of her head.  
"I don't know. How long has it felt like?"

He snorted and looked away. She stood and brushed dirt from her dress for what must have been the millionth time.

"How are you feeling?"  
"What?" Sephiroth raised a brow at her back.  
"Mm, nevermind."

Aeris spun around and gave him a familiar, friendly smile that nonetheless gave him the distinct impression that her heart really wasn't in it. Sephiroth was acquainted with her enough to know what was coming.

"No," he said firmly.  
Aeris looked crestfallen.  
"I haven't even—"  
"You were going to ask something."  
"How did you—"  
"Something invasive, most likely."  
"What? Why would—"  
"And now you're going to get angry and argue it with me. I know how it goes by now. No. I'm not answering."  
"Well," she countered, "if you know how it goes then you should know I'll wear you down eventually, and that it's just simpler if you co-operate."

She stared at him as though waiting for him to yield, but he remained determinedly stoic. Instead, she sighed.

"I don't know how you can expect me to ask anything that isn't intrusive. Making more polite conversation is ignoring the fat chocobo in the room, isn't it?"  
"You've been ignoring the 'fat chocobo' from the beginning."  
"Well… you have too. At least, you agreed to." She was looking uncharacteristically sheepish. Though she avoided any prolonged, direct eye contact, he could tell her eye was lingering, waiting for a response.

He did not oblige her.

"How come?"

"…"

"Just boredom?"

"…"

"Nothing better to do?"

"…"

"… Do you have something better to do?"

"… I might." He frowned.

"What?"

"I was determining that, before you interrupted."

To his delight, she averted her eyes completely and didn't even bother trying to meet his hard stare.

"You didn't think I planned to stay like this?" The pernicious smirk spreading over his lips wasn't visible from her vantage point, but she could hear it in his voice. "Being half-dead is the same as being half-alive, isn't it? I'll remedy that, when my next move is planned. The Lifestream doesn't flow only one way, after all. You've told me I'm stuck for now, but it's just as well - I can plan from here as well as anywhere."

"But you're _stuck_," she repeated stubbornly.  
"I'm sure I'll get around that eventually."  
"What, you think _I'm_ going to tell you?" she snapped, correctly reading his amused expression.

Sephiroth's smile grew fractionally wider and exponentially more unpleasant.

"Well, why else would I indulge you?"

Many expressions seemed to cross her face at once, all of them leaving an impression of disappointment, before her gaze settled into something distant and stony. She bent back to her flowers, leaving him feeling slightly puzzled and mysteriously put out at the lack of argument.

"You think 'boredom' is a more acceptable reason?"

"…"

"I suppose," he tilted his head back but watched her carefully out of the corner of his eye, "It's also because you're part Cetra."

"And you're _not_." She spoke airily enough, but he knew what she meant by it. In the pause before he spoke, his eyes narrowed.  
"What does it matter? I'm better than Cetra, now."  
"Oh, really."  
"What I want to do is only what your people were too weak to do. You've let your birthright be stolen from you, and—"

"You don't know the _first thing_ about about us!" She struggled to control the rage in her voice as she got stiffly but quickly to her feet, rounding on him. "What do you know? Nothing! Just what you read in some old books, half of which were probably made up anyway. You certainly don't know more than I do, and I barely know anything at all! Just enough to know that you're wrong. Not that it will matter, because you'll just change the story however it suits you – if you can't be Cetra, you'll be something else! Anything to avoid admitting the truth."

"I already admitted that Jenova wasn't what I—"

"Who cares what you say about _that thing_? I meant the truth about what _you_ are. You're so self-important, you probably think I should be thanking you for allowing me to _bleed_ on you."

"And you're so obtuse that you'll happily strike up conversation with your murderer."

"I have my reasons," she muttered, turning and sinking back to her flower bed. Sephiroth waited for elaboration, knowing none would come. Demanding answers likely wouldn't get him anywhere, and he knew better than to try, but the exchange had left him feeling as angry as she had sounded.

"Forget it," she spat, after enough silence had transpired than any person not muddled by anger would be able to tell it was forgotten.  
"Are you trying to apologize?"  
"No."  
"Just as well, I don't have any idea what you were talking about to begin with."  
"Of course not."

Sephiroth resented being the first to speak after a pause, but couldn't see how he would get any kind of answer otherwise.

"What secrets of the Cetra do you know, then?" He carefully calibrated his tone to be just mocking enough to prod her out of silence.

"Not many," she answered, taking the bait, "but more than _you_, anyway. I know what it really means to become one with the planet, for one thing."  
"… What, dying? The Lifestream isn't exclusive admittance."  
"That's not it. Most people just lose their consciousness when they die, stubborn people like _you_ stay separate. Cetra can join with the planet, conscious but a part of the whole."  
"And that's what it means to go to the Promised Land?"  
"Ye—how did you know that?"  
"I meant to go there. This isn't my first time in the Lifestream. I know more than what I've read in books."

Aeris frowned at him over her shoulder.

"Well, you couldn't get in."

"I wasn't planning on trying – but maybe that would be the best place to go next. You say I could join with the planet there. Perhaps I could use its energy from this side and find a body after." He examined one of his hands, flexing it, trying to determine if it felt any less substantial than what he had been used to in life.

Aeris laughed.

"What?"  
"Nothing. You should try it, see how it works."  
"What does that mean?"  
"You don't think the planet's only defences are physical ones like WEAPON, do you? Only Cetra can bond with the planet like that. If you aren't Cetra, the planet treats you like a virus. It's like your body's immune system – it will attack anything foreign." Again, she looked back at him with a faintly unfriendly smile. "So, you're welcome to try it and see what happens."

"The planet _can_ be subjugated," he insisted quietly, frowning.

"What makes you so sure?"

Sephiroth remained silent. There was nothing in particular that made him certain, but he'd accomplished the impossible before. A single dominant voice should be able to easily drown out a collection of quieter ones. Merging with the planet from within the Lifestream would accomplish mostly the same as merging from outside of it – he'd just have to determine how to go about it. Right now, though, he sensed that he'd extracted as much information from her as he could in one sitting.

"What kind of invasive question were you going to ask me earlier?"

She shot him a suspicious look, which he responded to with pointed indifference.

"What, you're going to _indulge_ me?"  
"Perhaps."  
"Why?"  
"I've decided it doesn't really matter if you know either way. There's no reason _not_ to tell you."  
"And when did you decide that?"

That he had no answer seemed to satisfy her far more than anything he could have said. She frowned deeply and lowered her eyes in the way that she tended to before asking what she anticipated would be a difficult question.

"I wanted to know… about Wutai."

* * *

**A/N: ** It's been forever since an update, but seeing that people are still reading it sort of prodded me back into action. It can be difficult to write these things not necessarily because they run out of things to talk about, but just because it's difficult to find smooth segways. Anyway, this chapter kind of alludes to where I'm going with this. I hope it's up to snuff.


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